Classic Movie Monday: Star Trek double feature

Welcome to Classic Movie Monday. Every Monday, I watch a film at least 25 years old that I have never seen before. I will then write my comments on the film, telling you what I thought of it. This is an attempt to beef up my classic film knowledge as well as highlight some forgotten gems of Hollywood's heyday. So without further ado...

Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Released: December 7, 1979
Directed by: Robert Wise
Starring: William Shatner & Leonard Nimoy

Plot in a Nutshell:
After a mysterious cloud begins a destructive path toward Earth, Admiral Kirk assumes command of his old ship, USS Enterprise, to solve the mystery.

What I thought:
Wow! What a boring movie. I had heard that this was a long, slow piece of cinema. The first problem, was the amount of screen time it took, before the crew got together and started pushing the plot forward. I remember looking at the run time as I was watching, and realizing that the movie was 3/5 over, and they still were plodding along toward this cloud. And then once they got there, once the mysterious V'ger was revealed, I felt so ripped off.

This feels like a TV episode. And interestingly enough it was. Back before Star Wars was released, there were plans to make a new Star Trek show called Phase II. The pilot episode was written, and they were awaiting the go ahead. Well, once Star Wars came out, Paramount decided they wanted a movie, NOW! So they took the script and shined it off, expanded it a little, and boom, they have a movie.

While the final outcome of the story is kind of neat in a way, it just doesn't represent a movie very well. It feels like a small idea that isn't very well suited for a big screen story. Add to that, the shots of the enterprise in space last forever, and you have one heck of a boring movie.

I could see how Trekkers who loved the original series would have been excited about this movie on its release, but sadly it just doesn't work for the rest of us normal people.

Bottom Line:
Sorry Paramount, Star Wars this ain't. This is a long, exhausting film, that goes nowhere and takes forever to get there.

D

...and then the extra special bonus review of...

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn
Released: June 4, 1982
Directed by: Nicholas Meyer
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, & Ricardo Montalbán

Plot in a Nutshell:
Admiral Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise face off against the clever nemesis Kahn when he manages to escape exile on a desert planet.

What I thought:
Ok, this is better. Gone are the floaty, long shots of the Enterprise, in comes an interesting villain, swift moving story, and enough action to satisfy the average moviegoer. But I'm a little disappointed. Trek fans generally proclaim Wrath of Kahn to be the best of the series. And while it was fun in places, I guess I was just expecting more.

This is clearly a step up from the previous entry in the series. Having learned their lessons on The Motion Picture, the filmmakers get the movie rolling very quickly. And in this aspect the film is leagues better.

Kahn is a strong character (and a fan favorite). He has just the right amount of quiet ferocity and outright dastardly lunacy. Played with gusto, Ricardo Montalbán portrays Kahn well, unfortunately I don't think they gave him very much to work with.

The problem with the film is that they spend so much time developing the history between Kahn and Kirk, that the ultimate payoff becomes rather weak. I kept expecting a showdown between the two. An epic clash of titans. Not a physical one, these guys are a bit old for that. No, I wanted to see a clash on an intellectual scale. They kind of have a little squaring off, but it is done through the bridge screen, which makes it kind of lame.

When Spock dies at the end, it feels like an afterthought. There was no leading up to it, no preparation for the sacrifice that was to come, it just happened. It was sad to see him go, Spock is after all, the life of the series. But the whole scenario felt cheap. Almost as if Leonard Nimoy mandated that his character perish (which funny enough, I think was the case). It should have been built up to reflect the seriousness of the act, and it wasn't.

In the end, while I did find it more enjoyable than the previous film, It still felt as though it were lacking. It was much better paced, yet it never got to where I was expecting it to go; it should have been more. Be that as it may, the film is still a fine entry into the Star Trek series. The fans are happy, though my disgruntled self ain't.

Bottom Line:
Fast-paced (at least faster than the last), an interesting villain (with nothing to do), and a great sacrifice (which came from nowhere), Wrath of Kahn is a disappointing film, that still manages to be just OK.

C+

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